Massachusetts Democrats believe that with Rep. Paul Ryan on the Romney ticket, Democrats can win by running against Ryan's existing budget plans, particularly his proposal for Medicare. 

In a Blue Commonwealth Snap Poll survey sent out shortly after Romney announced Paul Ryan will be his running mate, Massachusetts Democrats reacted to the decision.

"[The decision] defines Romney as a conservative who aligns himself with the Tea Party," one respondent said.

"The Ryan Budget is regarded as 'extreme' by its detractors. The Ryan Budget is controversial and Obama-Biden have to keep playing that card in a fitting manner," another political influencer answered.

When asked if Romney's choice would help the Obama-Biden ticket win over Massachusetts senior citizens, the overwhelming majority answered that they strongly agree.

On the other hand, Massachusetts Democrats said Ryan as running mate will help Romney in the race against President Obama by "motivating the right-wing base of the Republican Party to vote this fall," according to one influencer.

"This plays to the conservative base who love the Ryan Budget and were questioning if Romney is "conservative enough" for them," another respondent said.

In the majority of answers from state Democrats, they voiced their confidence that Massachusetts would vote Blue, regardless of who Romney had chosen.

"Massachusetts goes Blue regardless of Romney's VP pick. There is a slight chance that by picking Ryan, the Senate race will tip a little for Elizabeth Warren's favor since Sen. Brown had endorsed the Ryan Budget," one person wrote.

"Honestly, it won't have much impact on voters in MA because the state is so solidly on the Obama column."

Blue Commonwealth Survey

Our surveys are not a scientific, random sample of any larger population, but rather an effort to listen to a group of influential local Democratic activists, party leaders, candidates and elected officials in Massachusetts. All of these individuals have agreed to participate in Massachusetts’ Patch surveys, although not all responded to this story’s questions.

Patch will be conducting Red Commonwealth and Blue Commonwealth surveys throughout the 2012 election season in hopes of determining the true sentiment of conservatives and progressives on the ground in Massachusetts. If you are an activist, party leader or elected official and would like to take part in periodic surveys that last just a few minutes, please contact Associate Regional Editor Katie Curley-Katzman at katherine@patch.com.

Blue Commonwealth Survey Roster: Richard Sidney (Natick Democratic Committee Member), Betsy Johnson (Democratic activist), Steve O'Leary (Reading Selectman), Parwez Wahid (Democratic State Committee), Anne Worth (Chelmsford public schools volunteer), Ron Sayer (Chelmsford public schools volunteer), Mike Coombs (web developer), Alex Buck (running for State Senate), Angie Taranto (retired teacher), James Aciero (State Rep.), George Allen (scientist), Naomi Drebeen (town democratic chair), Kevin Donaher (Boston Housing Partnership), Steve Iannaccone (public administration), Mary DeChillo (social work professor), Chris Ryder (Peabody Mayor's Chief of Staff), Tom Gould (Selectman), James Liacos (Councilor-At-Large, Peabody), Rico Mello (Peabody City Council), Artha Athas (Peabody City Council), Josh Turiel (Salem City Council), Robert McCarthy (Salem City Council), Debbie Amaral (Salem School Committee), Marsha Finkelstein (field organizer), Joan Lovely (Salem City Council), Nate Bryant (Salem School Committee), Eric Wildman (Melrose Democrat), Mike Festa (Melrose Democratic Committee), Bonnie Cronin (Melrose Democratic Committee), Bonnie Cronin (Melrose Democratic Committee), Lisa Loveland (Melrose Democrat), Deborah Giso (Obama for America), Alan Leo (Warren Campaign), Mario Portillo (democratic committee), Lizabeth DeSelm (chemist), Joseph M. Phillips (consulting broker/agent), Holly Soutter (activist), Tom Mahone (Democratic Committee Chair), Ben Tafoya (Reading Democrat), Joe Forti (Reading Democrat), Jill Onderdonk (Westwood Democrat), Mike Jaillett (Westwood Town Administrator), Michael Walsh (alternate delegate to DNC), Greg Agnew (town democratic committee), Alyssa O'Keefe (Salem Democrat), Marilyn Hazel (Danvers Democrat), Ted Speliotis (State Rep.), Christopher Gagnon (Danvers Democrat), Julie Curtis (Danvers Democrat), Norma Shulman (Framingham Democrat), Phil DeCologero (North Andover Democrat), Mark DiSalvo (North Andover official), Bobby McCarthy (North Andover Democrat), Tricia Melvin (North Andover Democrat), Tom Devin (Braintree School Committee), Steve May (state senate candidate), Marcia Hirshberg (Westwood town committee), John Stefanini (Framingham Democrat), Chris Walsh (Framingham state rep.), Bob Berman (state elected delegate), Elisa Alviza (elected delegate), Anne Cohen (Democrat), Marcia Sweeney (Democrat), Renee Keaney (Democrat), Marilyn Segal (Democrat), Phil Sweeney (Democrat), Walter Horan (Democrat), David Gray (Tewksbury Selectman), Mike Hugo (state delegate), Charlie Sirstisky (state delegate), Barry Finegold (senator), Michael West (blogger), Susanna Sturgis (activist), Richard Knabel (selectman), Tristan Israel (selectman), Genevieve Davis (senate candidate), Dick Duggan (Democrat), Shawn Fitzgibbons (NDCC Chair), Margaret Albright (NDCC Vice Chair-Ward 2), Charlie Shapiro (Governor's Council candidate), Barbara John (Newton city committee), Janet Sterman (Newton city committee), Joe Lawless (Democrat), Tim LeCam (Democrat), Patricia Dunphy (Democrat), Anne Jarek (Democrat), Jeanne E. Craigie (retired teacher), Stas Gayshen (Democrat convention), Jon Saxton (town committee), Michael Gilbreath (town committee), Steve Owens (town committee), David Leon (Democrat), Susan Falkoff (Town Councilor), Richard Marcus (Steering Committee co-chair), Kelly Durkee Erwin (Aide to Sen. Fargo), Thomas Stanley (state rep.), Bob Gonsalves (professor, poet, activist), Chuck Viola (former alderman candidate), Jay Harney (Alderman, DNC),  Jason Lewis (state rep.), Laura Richter (legal aide), Ted Hess-Mahan (Alderman), Nancy Arents (Democrat), Michael Capuano (Congressman), Joseph Curtatone (Mayor of Somerville), Patricia Jehlen (state sen.), Denise Provost (state rep.), Dennis Naughton (Foxborough town committee), Jeremy Denlea (Attleboro City Council), Wiliam Rice (Seekonk Democratic Committee), Jim Humphrey (Democrat), John Davis (former city councilor), Martha Sanders (activist), Joe Demers (Democrat).